The Core
後唄文 (Gobai-mon) is a verse chanted at the conclusion of the formal meal practice in a Zen Dojo. It serves as a vow to live free from worldly attachments, just as a lotus flower remains untainted by the mud from which it grows. While commonly regarded as "a verse that signals the end of a meal," this dictionary defines it as "an active declaration of one's intent to remain untainted by the world; a praise to the Buddha who maintains a pure, autonomous nature while immersed in the muddy reality of society, without falling into conformity or absorption."
Q&A
- Q: Why are praise and declaration paired together?
- A: Because simply praising the Buddha remains a ritual directed toward an external object, which fails to foster a sense of personal ownership. By simultaneously praising the truth embodied by the Buddha and making a personal vow (declaration) to embody that truth oneself, it serves as a catalyst for elevating the practice into a "subjective, autonomous commitment" to living in purity, even amidst the mud of reality.
